It became a common sight in the temple the following days: the Jedi and the foreign girl, walking the halls, talking softly to each other, taking meals together.

Obi-wan was surprised by how quickly she grasped language. By the end of her second week at the temple she was forming simple sentences, and responding politely to Jedi who greeted her. She would quietly request her favorite foods at meals, and was beginning to read. It wasn't long before she began prompting lessons from the Jedi.

Armed with vocabulary, Thera would increasingly spend her days in the archives, often for hours at a time. When Obi-wan started her with the earliest primers meant for Jedi younglings, she devoured those and asked for more. It was then he hesitated. Most of the books in the archives dealt with the Force philosophy, applications, and histories. As the Jedi council had not discerned her as anything more than a guest, much of that knowledge was forbidden. Obi-wan did his best to find her simple histories or dissertations on the cultures of neighboring planets. He viewed holograms with her, explaining common life forms of the region.

It was soon that she requested a booklet to write in and keep track of her studies. Curious to see her one afternoon writing so feverishly, he requested to view her old language and it wasn't long before she sheepishly agreed to let him look over her notes. Pages were filled in a pleasant, flowing script that he took to be her journal. There were sections devoted to translations, and when Thera had a particularly hard time understanding an object or meaning, she would draw out an accompanying description. The translations would fade into a few blank pages, and then start up again into sketches. These were more detailed and expressive than the rest, and Obi-wan was always fascinated while looking through them. There were sketches of the skyline view of Coruscant from her quarters, of Master Yoda as he deftly held his walking stick in front of him, an ear cocked to the side as if listening to a whining Padawan. There were others- of Jedi she had encountered in the temple, and various models of star craft that would visit the landing platforms.

The last was himself; a startling sketch in its simplicity, as it portrayed him sitting on one of the low benches of the archives. His elbows rested on his legs, hands clasped in front of him as he watched a hologram of a pod race. His expression was pensive and far away, yet focused on the race, his robes trailing out behind him until settling on the floor. His lightsaber peeked out from the folds of fabric. At the bottom, she had written his name in her native tongue, and again in his language.

From the day he saw the sketch, Obi-wan began to wonder about how Thera regarded him. She was modest and intuitive, in more ways than one. Yet more and more layers were unfolding. She never openly spoke with him about her fears of her captivity. Her journal was dotted by frenzied script. There were more than a few times when he observed her in the isles of the archives, her forehead in one of her hands as she clenched her other fist. It was not lost on him that she was trying to remember more than just a language. She was anguishing over a past that still did not seem clear to her as she remembered. He knew he could help resurface the memories, but that also would be left up to the council for when it would be suitable for her to deal with.

Still, it was hard for him to watch.

"Obi-wan Kenobi?"

Obi-wan looked up from his hologram. He vaguely realized that his present stance would be reminiscent of her drawing; he had not even remembered what exactly he was watching. He had met her in the archives yet again, after returning from another reconnaissance breifing.

"Yes?" He grinned, recognizing the pout on her face as the one that preceded a question of vocabulary.

She hummed in thought and opened to a page in her book, sitting down next to him. With the movement she stirred up the air and from the faint aroma of feffel blossoms, he could tell that she had spent some of her morning in the temple gardens.

"Please tell me... the meaning of the words here," she pointed, indicating a passage in her history text.

He glanced over the paragraph, which described how Force lightning had been used in the battle of Erichana. He sighed and took the book from her hands. "Thera Munro, there are many things here you are not ready to understand. This is one of them."

"Then I wait," Thera said slowly. "I have trust you tell me."

Obi-wan smiled. "I will."


You will tell me. I shall find you.

The voice that had entered her nightmares before was finally taking form in the new language. The sound was echoing so loud in her mind that it sent shivers of pain down her spine.

"No!" She sat bolt upright, clutching at her circular bed sheets. But this time the shout came to her in the new language and she had the sinking feeling that with the action, she had given away something. Sleep was useless now. Her fingers longed to write, but her script came out so clumsy in the new form.

Thera hastily threw a lavender dressing gown around her shoulders and tightened the sash at the waist, exiting her room barefoot and distracted. The gown was one of the latest gifts from Obi-wan. Soft and warm, it was a welcome change after the cold sweat of her nightmare. She traversed the hallways of the temple, silent in the dead of night save for the humming of the surveillance droids.

Obi-wan was in the library. The knowledge came to her easily although unclear exactly how. Hesitating in the corridor, Thera mulled over the feeling; deciding to join him.

Obi-wan looked up when the door slid open to reveal Thera. He could sense the uneasing stamp of a nightmare, and he knew that tonight's had driven her from bed. "No sleep?" he asked kindly.

Thera frowned as she approached him on one of the lounge benches. "No. I had… how do you say it? Bad pictures in sleep."

"Nightmare," Obi-wan said.

"Nightmare. I have a lot of nightmare lately." Thera sat down beside him, glancing idly at his hologram. It was showing the proper maintenance of a Nubian star craft. The library at night was nearly deserted, save for a few drones that floated between the isles, cleaning and adjusting the volumes. She and Obi-wan sat for a moment in the darkness, the hologram pulsing. Thera could see how he might find it soothing to watch during a restless night.

"Obi-wan Kenobi, may I ask you a question?" she asked quietly.

He turned to her slightly, "Yes."

"What is the thing always on your belt?"

Obi-wan pushed aside his robes, placing a hand on his lightsaber. "This?"

"Yes," she curled her toes and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"My lightsaber." He removed it from his belt and activated it; the sudden blue light threw Thera's face into sharp relief against the darkness of the room. In a surprising reaction, she didn't flinch.

"I remember this," she said. "With this, you fought… it."

He deactivated the weapon and handed it to Thera. No Jedi should ever give such a thing over to a novice, Obi-wan knew, but the Force was telling him this was right.

Thera cautiously curled her fingers around the weapon. "Very dangerous, yes?"

He gave a crooked smile at her intuition, "Very. All Jedi Knights carry one."

"This is a place for Jedi Knights, then, yes?" she asked while closely examining the grooved metal.

"Yes." As Obi-wan watched her curious eyes take in the instrument, he was already picturing how her own would look. Slender, longer to form to her feminine grasp. He wondered what color it would bear for her, what offensive skill she would excel at most. Shoresu, his mind whispered.

She handed the lightsaber back. "I am thinking that this is not a place for girl like me." Her voice dropped to a murmur, "Girl who is not Jedi Knight."

I would change that, he thought suddenly. A striking image of Thera came to his mind as she held his stare, a questioning look in her eyes.

Thera seemed to compose herself and noticed a prickling sense coming from Obi-wan. More and more she became aware of the senses that swept over her, and that the sensations around Obi-wan were stronger than most. There were times when she had lost all composure because of the feelings that bombarded her, and it was with the feeling of inadequacy of not being able to block them.

"I do not want to seem…how you say it? Not being thank-you."

Obi-wan nodded at the phrase, "Ungrateful. You don't want to seem ungrateful."

"That is the word," she smiled sadly. "I need a place. A skill. I learn language now, it is good to learn this. But more things. I am sorry. I do not have the words."

"You're being called, Thera Munro. You have a higher destiny."

Thera wrinkled her nose. "Please, Obi-wan. From home, we use only one name. Just my first name."

"Thera, then." Obi-wan let the conversation wane, saving discussions of her destiny for another time.

Thera yawned, trying to stifle the gesture. Obi-wan chuckled, "Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Obi-wan."

He watched after her until she cleared the library doors, and Obi-wan passed a hand over his face. He'd handed her his lightsaber; she could have cut him in half, unknowingly. But he had seen, in her eyes- what was it? A vision of the Jedi she could be. He would have to ask the council for permission soon. He fervently hoped they would agree granting Thera the status of Padawan. Something about her future required defense. If the Jedi could not grant that, he would train her in secret…and he did not like that idea at all.


Thera was cheerful at daybreak, dressed in one of the green robes that made her hazel eyes glow golden. She had her hair looped and pinned to the crown of her head; looking for all the worlds like the delegate he claimed her to be.

"Would you like to go on a trip today?" Obi-wan asked, taking a bite of his meal. He had decided that she had to venture away from the temple at some point, and his attendance was requested in the senate on behalf of the Jedi.

"A trip? To where?"

"The Galactic Republic. Our center for politics."

Her eyes glowed as she restrained an excited tone, "Many people from different worlds there, yes?"

"Yes," he said, grinning at her emotional battle.

Thera composed her face and said carefully, in the sobering fashion that reminded him too well of the local senators, "I would be pleased to go."


'Many different worlds' did not do the senate justice, she mused. The floating platforms seemed to go on forever, the echoing voices cascading down the tiered walls and into her ears. Obi-wan escorted her into a Jedi platform, sitting beside her and nodding politely to the delegates seated around them. She shadowed his formalities and returned the polite greetings with confidence.

"Greetings, Master Kenobi. My gratitude to Master Windu's prompt report on our outer sectors."

Obi-wan turned and gave a slight bow to the passing delegation. "Pleased to see you again, Delegate Adavar. The Jedi welcome any request from your cabinet."

The Oberon system representative, Delegate Adavar took a seat next to Obi-wan's platform, his gaze traveling over towards Thera with interest. "I do not believe I have been introduced to your companion," the Oberonian said with a warm smile.

"Then let me introduce Thera Munro." Upon hearing her name, Thera turned. She smiled and inclined her head to the Oberonian.

"Acova Adavar, m'lady. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"And I yours, Delegate Adavar," Thera responded politely.

"Where do you hail from, Miss Munro?"

"Outside the Republic, sir," she recited flawlessly.

"Indeed? That is unusual. Does your system have a name?"

"The name of our system does not have a name in Basic, sir."

"How quaint," the senator smiled. "Have you seen much of Coruscant?"

"No, sir. I have made an arrival most recently."

Obi-wan openly studied the delight on the delegates' face as he leaned towards their podium, "As it happens we are holding a consulate reception tonight. Would you care to join myself and meet other delegates of the region?"

Thera glanced towards Obi-wan, confusion in her eyes. He cleared his throat as he met her gaze, unsure of how to ward Thera away and how to recognize the apprehensive feeling in his gut. "I have heard much of the consulate dinners, it sounds like it would be an interesting invitation."

The confusion in Thera's eyes disappeared and a smile crept onto her lips. "Many thanks, Senator Adavar," she said. "I will be very please to attend."

Adavar paused, then nodded in understanding. "I will see you then at the Oberonian consulate's house, tonight at 19." Acova nodded his thanks and turned his attention abruptly to the senate floor as the members were called to order.

Following the lead of Obi-wan and others in the senate hall, Thera settled back in her chair, arranging her skirt around her ankles and listened intently. Much of the language was still too technical for her to understand, and the transcriber screen in front of their seats only added to the confusion. She was able to keep up with the debates only by Obi-wan's contentment to whisper an answer to her questions.

Voices echoed and waned in the great hall. Her eyes shifted from one delegation to another, amazed at the display of alien cultures. Subtly, Obi-wan watched her. He could think of no one more respectable to take Thera to a consulate's congregation than Senator Adavar, and yet he could not shake the feelings of misgiving that crept slowly into his mind.

The meeting sojourned after a few hours and Thera took care to stay close to Obi-wan in the tide of senators that exited the building. They walked to the Jedi's speeder; Thera falling into the routine of asking broken questions about the senate and the oddities that surrounded the building. As he piloted the speeder out of the landing bay, she peered down at the canyons created by the buildings below, enjoying the rush of air and the vibrancy of the city. When they arrived at the temple, she declared her intention to spend her afternoon in the archives. Obi-wan acquiesced, reminding her of the dinner that evening.

"I will remember," Thera nodded with a smile. "I meet you at the speeder?"

"1830. Don't be late, it's a cultural insult."

"Master Kenobi, do you tell me because I am always late?" She grinned and bowed slightly, then set off towards the library. Obi-wan blinked, surprised. Had Thera made a joke? She absorbed more than he thought.

And another matter; she had called him Master. Before she had referred to him by his full name, and without a title. And on rare occasions that were becoming more common, just Obi-wan… but now she called him Master Kenobi. Certainly this was a result of hearing the term used by others, he reasoned, but from the mouth of the girl he hoped to make his Padawan, the title seemed to weigh heavier in his mind.

The doors to the library slid open and Thera took a deep breath, enjoying the cool, musty smell that all libraries have, even the ones in foreign galaxies. Some of the Jedi looked up and exchanged greetings, smiling. She returned the gestures while feeling peaceful, very much at home for the first time. Making her way to the history section, she began to browse through the volumes pertaining to galaxies outside the Republic.

"Hello, Miss Munro."

Thera turned to find the head librarian, Jocasta Nu walking towards her. "Galaxy maps again?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Thera sighed, tipping her head to one side as she studied the datapad in front of her. "I want to find my home."

"Are you happy here, Thera?" Jocasta asked, sensing a hint of sadness in the girl's voice.

"Yes…no," she stammered. "I do not know where it is I come from."

"I did not ask you about where you were from, Thera Munro. I ask you about where you are." Jocasta's voice was soft, but serious. Thera looked up, surprised as the elderly woman continued. "We are not in control of our pasts. There are many across the galaxy who cannot return home, either. But will this knowledge continue to pain you, or can you find happiness here?"

Thera was taken aback. "A small happiness comes tonight, I think," she said. "A senator has asked me to…a delegate's dinner."

The librarian's eyes quickly swept over her form, "May I ask, Miss Munro, what you were planning on wearing?"

"This?" Thera said hesitantly, running a hand over her pale green delegate's robe.

"No, no," Jocasta tutted. "Follow me. I shall find something that will suit you better."


Obi-wan drummed his fingers along the side of the speeder, waiting. 18:25.

The doors to the speeder bay hissed open, and he sensed Thera approaching. As she took a step into the light, Obi-wan found himself staring.

Instead of the delegate's robe that she had worn that afternoon, Thera wore an elegant maroon dress. The skirt was long as it trailed on the floor in layers. Tapering into a form-fitting waist that gave way to a loose top of Jandaran silk, the sleeves wrapping becomingly over each shoulder. She still wore her hair up, but now maroon ribbons were interwoven in the strands. She walked forward slowly, her hands plucking nervously at the skirt as she navigated the silvery grey cape that was draped over her arm. Obi-wan could feel the image burning into his memory.

She stopped and frowned once noticing his expression. "Too much dress?"

"No… you look perfect for the dinner. Where did you get that?"

She breathed a small sigh of relief, and allowed a smirk to take over her features, "Master Yoda said dress no longer right size."

Obi-wan chuckled, "No, really."

"Mistress Nu was kind to let me take for tonight."

"You look lovely."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," she replied with a genuine smile.

Obi-wan flinched internally at the formal title. Not a master yet, he thought to himself. "I have something for you. A gift," he said while handing her a small tan box. Thera opened it, the cape dangling loosely over her arm.

It was a necklace. The jewelry sparkled in the dim light of the landing bay; a thick chain with three opalescent gemstones that gathered at the base, their reflection like water and clouded ice. "Beautiful," Thera whispered, delicately lifting the chain from the box. It was long enough that it slipped easily over her head, the jewels resting just above the neckline of her dress. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, thinking of the storage of senatorial gifts it had come from, much like the delegate dresses he had found. Upon reflection, it seemed vain to give a material item to link her to the Jedi, yet Obi-wan knew she had no goods to her name, and with them, no memories. The necklace was a small consolation, and a rememberance of him. He had hoped it would be valuable to her in the future connections.

"May I?" Obi-wan asked as he indicated her cape. Thera nodded, and with a flourish he expertly opened the material and draped it around her shoulders. He fixed the clasp gently around her throat, adjusting the fabric over her arms while avoiding her inquisitive gaze.

"Something wrong?" Thera questioned quietly.

"Yes," he said simply as he looked at her. It wouldn't benefit if he kept her in the dark about the sensation that he was feeling through the Force. He wondered if she had the same sensation. "Something tells me that tonight there may be danger for you. There will be many people there, and I'm afraid I know how poorly guarded the consulates' headquarters can be."

"Do I need to be frightened of a dinner?" she whispered.

Obi-wan gave her what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "No, most likely not. But it is better to be prepared. I will be waiting for you outside the building. I will know if you need me."

"How?"

"It is a skill that Jedi Knights possess."

A skeptical look clouded her features. "You are not to come?"

"Delegate Adavar invited you, not me."

Thera nodded but still looked tense, her interest now focused on the long folds of the dress.

"You can trust me," Obi-wan said.

"You need not tell me, I trust you before," she replied quietly as her eyes focused now on her hands.

Obi-wan regarded her for a moment, and began to see himself in the drawing he had studied so intently before. Except this time it was from her perspective. Noble, pensive, and… guarded? He sifted through the sensations that were coming from her. This girl, now a woman in his eyes, stood before him on the landing platform. He understood; yes she trusted him… but now as her first time venturing out into the world alone, and it was clear she would rather have him there with her. The anchoring feeling that he represented was being taken away, and he was slowly becoming more to her.

Obi-wan guided her into the speeder, "Come now, or you'll be late."

The Oberonian consulate was flooded with light from every angle, illuminating the many windows and carved permacrete. The main door was framed with service droids and the pathway rolling out into the landing bay. As Thera stepped out of the speeder and smoothed her dress, Obi-wan scanned the small crowd that lined the entrance. The feeling of misgiving grew inside of him, although he couldn't place it.

"Go in," Obi-wan said with a wave of his hand.

Thera opened her mouth as if to object, but then visibly straightened her back and walked up to the building. Obi-wan watched her go, seeing the covert looks from the other attendees at her unaccompanied form. He slipped quietly back into the shadows, carefully examining every vessel that approached.

As before, the consulate building was full of easy access points and exits. Obi-wan rolled his eyes at the guards that lazed next to the service entry, mere droids for the front entrance. Through the tall windows he could see Thera's blood-red dress wandering through the crowds, attracting too many stares for his liking. It was slightly disconcerting to see the senator's gaze as Adavar caught sight of Thera, and even more so when the senator introduced her to other prominent lobbyists of the region.

This was going to be a long evening.